This invention relates generally to self-propelled personal mobility vehicles for the handicapped and physically impaired, and more particularly to a compact, low center-of-gravity personal mobility vehicle which is uniquely adapted to negotiate within tightly confined spaces.
Presently, a broad array of self-propelled personal mobility vehicles for use by the handicapped and physically impaired are either patented and/or marketed. These vehicles are almost exclusively motorized and battery powered and consist of either three or four ground engaging wheels. However, the three wheeled tricycle-type version appears most popular. The drive arrangement may include a propulsion motor operably connected to either one or both of the rear drive wheels or incorporated into a front steerable wheel.
Typically, these available personal mobility vehicles are relatively massive in structure, some of which are also designed for outdoor operation in grass and dirt. Additionally, the center of gravity of the user seated atop such available vehicles is relatively high, producing a somewhat compromised stability.
In the typical front wheel steering vehicle, a steering tiller is incorporated to be manually operated by the rider. As a result, these vehicles are relatively long to accommodate the steering tiller and must be entered from the side to get behind the tiller. Such vehicles also prohibit driving up to and under a table due to the presence of the steering tiller in the front of the vehicle.
A further limitation of personal mobility vehicles presently known to applicant resides in the limited ability of these larger vehicles to negotiate narrow hallways, to avoid running over the toes of others nearby on foot, and to be able to maneuver in dimensionally tight environments such as through a doorway of a narrow hallway. For example, those individuals who live in mobile homes or the like having narrow hallways, typically approximately 24" in width, are unable to utilize any such product currently on the market for this environment.
The present invention provides an extremely maneuverable, low center of gravity personal mobility vehicle which, in the preferred embodiment, will easily maneuver down narrow hallways, through narrow doorways at 90 degrees to such hallway, and into other dimensionally tight situations. A unique electronically controlled rear steerable propelling wheel arrangement is also provided, thus eliminating the front tiller. This invention also reduces the likelihood of running over the foot of an able bodied pedestrian who may inadvertently get too close to the vehicle while underway.